Chapter 5: This Fish Isn’t Dead, It’s Still Alive

Originally, Li Yuanjing’s plan was simple: catch a few more baskets of fish tonight, process and store them at home to give Yuniang a sense of security, so she wouldn't need to work so hard anymore. Then he would seek a truly profitable venture.

Yet tonight, the capture of this giant catfish utterly disrupted Li Yuanjing’s plans.

Fortunately, the large burlap sack he had prepared for smaller fish proved invaluable. Without it, neither he nor Yuniang could have managed to bring the enormous fish home.

They struggled all the way back, closing the courtyard gate securely. Both Li Yuanjing and Yuniang were drenched in sweat, but when they looked at each other—especially at the massive catfish and the dozens of fish in their two baskets—they couldn’t help but smile.

For the first time, an unspoken understanding grew between them.

However, just as Yuniang was about to help Li Yuanjing to the earthen bed for a rest, he suddenly sprang up, saying, “Yuniang, it’s almost dawn. In another hour, the sun will rise. I need to go to the county town and sell this big catfish.”

“Stay at home today. I’ll lock the door for you. Don’t open it for anyone except me!”

“Brother, let me go with you. It’s so dark and dangerous out there…”

Yuniang was clearly worried, wanting to say more, but Li Yuanjing lightly slapped her slender waist and said, “What, you won’t listen to your brother? I’ll try to be back in time for dinner.”

“Brother…”

He managed to calm Yuniang.

Li Yuanjing tied an extra rope around the burlap sack holding the big catfish, secured it to the chicken cart left behind by Li Honest, and set out for the county town in the dark.

Though Quanzi Village was nearly thirty li from Feng County, and the mountain roads were difficult—normally requiring half a day’s travel—Li Yuanjing was familiar with the route from years of study at the county school. He also knew several hidden paths that would let him avoid bandits near the main road.

As a result, by about nine o’clock in the morning, Li Yuanjing arrived smoothly at the city of Feng County.

Perhaps it was Yuniang’s gentle presence that gave him strength, for despite being soaked with sweat, he felt no fatigue.

Moreover, whether it was due to his transmigration or not, Li Yuanjing sensed his physical condition subtly improving.

Soon, he reached the bustling southern city marketplace near the county school.

The market was lively, naturally—at this hour, the city gates were still restricted, and the restaurants couldn’t procure their goods as early as in later times.

Pushing the chicken cart through the crowd, Li Yuanjing quickly gauged the prices in Feng County: pork was about forty-five coins per jin, fish and shrimp around twenty coins, and the prices for rice, wheat, millet, and grain were all fairly stable.

For two coins—the equivalent of two copper pieces—one could buy a child’s fist-sized vegetable bun.

Perhaps because of Feng County’s remote location, the chaos of the Great Qian Dynasty had not yet reached here, leaving the overall situation relatively stable.

After his observations, Li Yuanjing sought out the largest fresh food stall.

“Shopkeeper, do you buy fish? I have one to sell,” Li Yuanjing greeted the sharp-faced, shrewd-looking shopkeeper with a naive smile.

If he had any choice, Li Yuanjing would have preferred not to deal with this shopkeeper.

But Feng County was a small place; the other market stalls were too small to handle his giant catfish.

“You’re selling fish?” the shopkeeper said, sizing up Li Yuanjing—who had a scholarly air but wore ragged clothing. The shopkeeper’s voice carried a tone of superiority, already guessing Li Yuanjing’s situation.

Li Yuanjing knew the shopkeeper was trying to take advantage of him, but he had no alternative.

Still, he wasn’t planning to get rich from fishing. He simply opened the burlap sack, revealing the big catfish’s dark, imposing body.

“My goodness, what a huge fish!”

“Heavens! I’ve lived more than forty years, and never seen a fish this big!”

“What kind of fish is that? It’s enormous—almost magical. This young man’s luck is extraordinary.”

As the giant catfish was revealed, a crowd quickly gathered, marveling at the sight. Many had never seen a fish so large in their lives.

The shopkeeper’s beady eyes gleamed with greed.

He thought to himself, ‘Today must be blessed by Buddha; it’s my turn for a windfall.’

But when he turned to Li Yuanjing, his expression changed as he sighed, “Young man, the fish is good, but unfortunately, it’s dead. That makes it worthless.”

“Normally, I pay twelve coins per jin for live fish. But since this one’s dead, I can offer at most nine coins. Still…”

“Seeing that you’re struggling, I’ll give you ten coins per jin. That’s five hundred coins for the fish. How about it?”

Li Yuanjing’s brow furrowed.

By custom, one tael of silver exchanged for a thousand coins; Li Yuanjing’s minimum expectation was at least one tael.

Even at the price for live fish, this fifty-plus jin catfish should fetch one tael of silver.

Not to mention, rarity commands a premium.

Who would have thought this shopkeeper—carved from the same mold as the rat demon from “Calabash Brothers”—was so ruthless?

“Shopkeeper Liu, isn’t that too stingy? This fish—how could it be worth only five hundred coins? That’s just bullying!”

“Exactly! People used to call you Liu the Flayer—I defended you, but now I see you’re worse than a flayer…”

“So heartless…”

The crowd muttered and criticized, clearly disgusted by Shopkeeper Liu’s greed.

“Ha,” Shopkeeper Liu smirked, ignoring their protests. He was certain he had Li Yuanjing cornered, and said loftily, “Young man, don’t listen to these fools. If I want your fish, only I can buy it. If you don’t believe me, try somewhere else.”

The crowd grumbled again, but could do nothing about Shopkeeper Liu—he clearly had connections.

At that moment, Li Yuanjing suddenly smiled.

“Shopkeeper, this fish isn’t dead. It’s still alive.”

“Alive?”

“Nonsense!”

“You think I’m blind? Look at all that blood—it’s certainly dead!”

Shopkeeper Liu grabbed a stick and struck the catfish, intending to prove his point.

“My goodness—”

But in the next instant, the ‘dead fish’ leaped more than a meter high, knocking Shopkeeper Liu flat on his back.

Not only was Shopkeeper Liu terrified, screaming as if he’d lost his father, but the catfish began jumping in the mud, splashing everyone.

“This, this, this…”

The crowd was stunned, jaws dropping in disbelief.

Who would have guessed, after all that, the giant catfish was still so lively?

Li Yuanjing couldn’t help but smile.

In this era, probably no one understood a catfish’s vitality better than he did.

With harmless calm, he addressed the still-shaken Shopkeeper Liu, “Shopkeeper, as you see, it’s still alive. Shall we reconsider the price?”